Writing with a demand for attention

After I moved into my dorm this semester, I met a lovely young girl named Muffin. She’s is my suitemate’s dog who never looks directly at my camera when I try to take a picture  most of time. She’s an interesting addition to our dorm life.

But she’s also a handful. Being a young puppy, she’s been running around the place for the last five and a half hours. She’ll bring me her toy every minute. When I haven’t paid attention to her in a while, she whines. (Of course, I have to get her to stop because we’re in a dorm.) I even took her on a walk today, and she still played for another forty minutes before she lay down beside me on a chair.

But this can cut into my writing time.

I’ve only known her for a little while, but I can tell this is going to be a minor issue. Earlier, it took me twice as long to write a letter since she kept bringing dog toys or jumping on the chair behind me. She was all over the place.

I’m starting to find small ways around this. I’ll write with one hand and leave my other hand down near her to tug-a-war or so. She seems not to mind that I’m barely tugging anymore. At the end of sentences or trains of thought, I’ll throw the ball for her to chase around again.

It’s easier once there’s a rhythm. When we get into a rhythm, it’s not as bad. Or I can continue to wear her out until she lies beside me as she’s doing now.

Do y’all have similar experiences? Maybe not with a dog but another type of pet? How do you find your rhythms?